Mexican-born beauty Salma Hayek has been happily married to billionaire French businessman François-Henri Pinault for 12 years, yet their relationship still sparks public interest even after more than a decade of love.
While the award-winning actress, 55, often sings her hubby’s praises on Instagram — and she’s not stingy with the romantic photos! — fans are still curious about her significant other, who doesn’t appear to have a social media presence of his own.
Thankfully, Hayek — who also posts the occasional shout-out to her in-laws, Kering empire founder François Pinault and Louise Gautier — often keeps followers up to speed with her partner’s many achievements.
Here’s what we know about the 59-year-old billionaire, whose family is one of the richest in France.
François-Henri Pinault's Net Worth
According to Forbes, as of 2021, Pinault has an estimated net worth of $ 7billion. As impressive as that sounds, his fortune is a far cry from his father’s estimated net worth of $ 49.4billion.
The French businessman has been president of Groupe Artémis since 2003, a company famed for its investments in fashion, food, wine, luxury, art, and tourism. He also holds the honorary CEO and chairman positions at his father’s company, Kering, which he has helmed since 2005, and which owns luxury fashion brands Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, and Gucci.
His family also owns French Ligue 1 soccer club Stade Rennais FC, which they purchased in 1998. Hayek reportedly handles the team’s affairs, per The Sun.
Most notably, Pinault made headlines in April 2019 following the devastating fire at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, after donating $ 11 million through his company Artémis to help with repairs of the historic Parisian monument.
Later that same year, Hayek was gushing over her philanthropist hubby on Instagram, praising his entrepreneurial acumen: "I am so proud of my husband who ranked number 3 in the Harvard Business Review: ‘The Best Performing CEOs in the World’!!!"
More recently, the Frida star was bursting with pride as she announced on social media this September that Pinault’s company Kering was going entirely fur-free. To celebrate, she went makeup-free for a romantic couple’s selfie on the water, snagging over half a million likes.
They Got Married On Valentine's Day
As you’d expect from a perfect love story such as theirs, Hayek and Pinault exchanged marriage wows on Valentine’s day. The couple was wed on February 14, 2009, in Paris’s sixth arrondissement town hall, later tying the knot again in an extravagant, star-studded ceremony in Venice on April 25.
Both dates are religiously celebrated on Instagram by the Desperado actress, along with her husband’s day of birth, May 28. For this year’s birthday post, the Hollywood star shared a gorgeous photo of the two locked in a tender embrace, along with a trilingual message honoring their multi-cultural household. "Happy birthday, my love," she wrote in English, French, and Spanish.
Just when you thought things couldn’t be more romantic, Hayek and Pinault left fans swooning with their secret vow renewal ceremony in Bora Bora on August 28, 2018, which was as much of a surprise for the Bliss star.
"The summer is coming to an end and my best moment was when my husband surprised me with a vow renewal – it was not what I would have chosen to wear to my wedding but I was told I was going to the spa!" Hayek wrote on Instagram, sharing pictures from the intimate event, which you can see by scrolling through the embed above.
They Have A Child Together
Hayek and Pinault are the proud parents of 14-year-old daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault. The spouses welcomed their baby girl on September 21, 2007, six months after announcing their engagement and making the pregnancy public. According to The Sun, Valentina has a net worth of $ 12 million that has been set aside for her future.
Pinault also has three other children from past relationships. The Frenchman was previously married to Dorothée Lepère from 1996 to 2004, with whom he shares 22-year-old son François and 20-year-old daughter Mathilde. He also fathered a child with supermodel Linda Evangelista, 15-year-old son Augustin James Evangelista.
Of Valentina, her mother told Red magazine back in 2017: "I try to be with Valentina as much as possible, even when I’m working. She was with me on [the photoshoot for the magazine] and she felt like a participant — she wasn’t just sitting there on the iPad. This is so important."
Hayek, who had her only child at age 41, also opened up about her desire to have a big family. "I always wanted to have a lot of children, and I was not able to. My body, as a miracle, had one. The huge blessing I’ve had is that my husband has three other children. So I have four. And they are all so different," she told Red, per Popsugar.
Most recently, Valentina accompanied her Oscar-nominated mother at the Eternals premiere, with the above photo of the two posted on Hayek’s Instagram.
Salma Hayek Shuts Dows Rumors She Married For Money
Hayek loves talking about her husband in public and she had plenty of things to say on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast earlier this year. The actress held nothing back as she slammed the rumors that she married Pinault for his money.
"When I married him, everybody said, ‘Oh, it’s an arranged marriage. She married him for the money,’" Hayek said, before setting the record straight: "I’m like, ‘Yeah, whatever, b**ch. Think what you want. Fifteen years together.’ And we are strong in love, and I don’t even get offended."
The Hollywood star went on to rave about her husband: "In pictures, you cannot begin to guess the magic in him. He’s made me become a much better person and grow in such a good, healthy way."
Of those criticizing their relationship, she had this to say: "They cannot begin to imagine what a joy that human being is."
Hayek also dished about the atmosphere at home, proudly saying of Pinault: "My guy finishes work, no matter how hard it was, and trust me, he has a lot of responsibilities, big smile on his face, happy to be home, happy to see me and the kids, make us laugh."
While Hayek is staying tight-lipped about how she and Pinault met — “It’s such a romantic, amazing story, but it’s mine,” she told Town and Country magazine — she did disclose the date of their first encounter. Taking to Instagram on May 25, 2020, the Hitman’s Bodyguard actress wrote: "Today 14 years ago I met my soul mate. After the test of time and even the test of the quarantine I feel very blessed that I’ve found you, and the more I discover you the more my love grows."
She also shared a slideshow of the two of them dancing, given above.
“[Pinault] is the best husband in the world,” Hayek told Town and Country magazine. “I get to be who I am with him, and I don’t feel that somebody tries to limit me.”
]]>The Inquisitr
